Ways to Show Gratitude to Your Volunteers

Have you ever wondered if your volunteers truly know how much they matter? In this episode of the Healthy Church Staff Podcast, I'm Todd Rhoades, and I'm pulling back the curtain on how vital volunteers are to our church communities. From leading the kids' ministry to greeting newcomers with a smile, these champions of faith make everything possible—and yet, they often go unnoticed. Drawing insights from 1 Thessalonians 1, we explore practical ways to ensure that these unsung heroes feel appreciated and valued, preventing burnout and building a stronger, more supportive environment.

Join me as we uncover creative and heartfelt ways to express gratitude, ensuring our volunteers feel seen and celebrated. Whether it's through hosting an appreciation event or offering sincere personal gestures like handwritten notes or quick thank-you calls, these acts of kindness go a long way. I'll share tips on how you can implement these gratitude practices in your church and watch the positive ripple effect on your community. Listen in and discover the transformative power of appreciation, and how it can foster a thriving, motivated team of volunteers who feel genuinely cherished.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:07

Hi there, welcome to the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. I'm Todd Rhodes, your host and one of the co-founders over at chemistrystaffingcom. I'm glad you're spending a few minutes with me here today. It's our time that we get to just put everything else out and listen to what God might have for us and our church teams today, as we leave in our churches. Today we're continuing our series on gratitude. Today, we're focusing on a group that doesn't always get the appreciation they deserve, and that's our volunteers. So we're going to talk about some ways to show gratitude to our volunteers because, if we're honest, without them, a lot of what happens in our churches just wouldn't happen. It wouldn't be possible.

Speaker 1: 0:47

All right, first of all, shout out to all the volunteers out there who I'm talking about the folks that show up early and stay late. Fill in all the gaps. They're leading kids ministry, there are greeters at the door, they're running tech, they're making coffee, they're doing a hundred other things that keep the church running smoothly. And you know what? We don't pay them a thing. That's why they're called volunteers, but the truth is they're doing it because they care, not because they're expecting anything in return. They don't expect to be paid. They don't expect to benefit monetarily from that. But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't make it a point to thank them. And I've seen it happen too many times. Volunteers give and give and after a while they start to feel like their work isn't noticed or valued and, even worse, they feel like as a volunteer. At some point, after they've given and given, they feel like they're being taken advantage of, and that's when people get burned out, that burnout can creep in, that's when people can get a little resentful and a little angry. And I'm telling you, a little bit of gratitude, just a little bit of gratitude, can go a long way in making sure that they know that they're appreciated. Some churches treat volunteers like staff members. Volunteers are not staff members, they're just not. And I don't want you to abuse your staff members, but at least you're paying them to abuse them. That sounds horrible. Don't abuse your staff members. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying volunteers can feel abused very easily if you don't show them gratitude. I hope you know what I'm saying here. Okay, here's let me turn it over to Paul. Maybe he'll say it better than I can.

Speaker 1: 2:37

Paul talks in 1 Thessalonians 1, verses 2 and 3. We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you all in our prayers. We remember before our God and Father your work produced in faith, your labor prompted by love and your endurance inspired by the hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul made sure that people knew they were seen, and that's something we can all do for our volunteers. When was the last time you thanked God for your volunteers? Ouch, maybe you do so regularly. I know when I was in full-time ministry I appreciated my volunteers. Did I thank God for them regularly? I don't know if I ever did, but that's one of the things that Paul says we always thank God for you and continually mention you in our prayers.

Speaker 1: 3:39

Some churches host an annual kind of volunteer appreciation night and they roll out all the red carpet. Literally, it's a simple event with some snacks and maybe a few fun awards like most likely to make the kids laugh, or coffee champion, you know maybe a heartfelt thank you speech from the pastor. It's not big budget, but it makes volunteers feel seen and celebrated and it's those little things that do make a difference. And doing something like that is a creative way to let your volunteers know that they are appreciated. So here's your bottom line for today Find a specific, meaningful way to show gratitude to your volunteers this week. It could be maybe a handwritten note, maybe a quick phone call, maybe even just pulling somebody aside on this weekend and saying hey, I see the work that you're doing, it's making a difference and I appreciate it. And if you want to go a step further, maybe consider planning a small appreciation event. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, maybe it's a volunteer breakfast or a simple gathering after a service.

Speaker 1: 4:39

Whatever you choose, the goal is to make sure your volunteers know that you see them and that the work that they do matters. Some churches, man, it's just in their DNA and they do this extremely well. Other churches, man, you are about two Sundays away from losing a bunch of your volunteers because they're burned out and they don't see the value in what they're doing or they don't think that you see the value in what they're doing. So, some churches, man, wherever you are, there are ways to do it better. If you're doing great, make it even better. If you're not doing anything, make a small step and even particularly, you're going to see movement from churches that, if you're in a church that does not have this in their DNA, make a small step, you'll see a huge difference in your volunteer team. I guarantee it.

Speaker 1: 5:27

I'd love to hear how you share appreciation and show appreciation to your volunteers. If you've got a great way that you have discovered to make your team feel valued, share it with me. I would love to share it with everyone that listens to this podcast. Maybe in a future episode your ideas might just inspire others. I'm always on the lookout for creative ideas and creative ways that churches say thank you. All right, thanks for hanging out with me today. I didn't even tell you how to send that story to me. Just send me your ideas, things that you've tried and have worked, or maybe something you've tried to totally flop. I'd love to hear that too. I won't share that on the podcast, though you can reach out to me anytime. Podcast at chemistrystaffingcom. Thank you so much, appreciate you and I will see you here on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast again tomorrow. Have a great day.